In Dudley court, video scam suspect sent to jail

Friday

Apr 26, 2013 at 6:00 AMApr 26, 2013 at 3:10 PM

By Susan Spencer TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Jesse J. Clark, the wedding videographer accused of scamming more than 90 couples out of payments for wedding videos he never delivered, has run online wedding businesses during the past year despite several jail sentences and probation periods and a Suffolk Superior Court injunction.

Lawyer Nicholas Frye, who represents several couples who have won civil judgments against Mr. Clark, made the allegation Thursday. He was present in Dudley District Court as Mr. Clark was sentenced to two months in jail in an assault case.

Mr. Clark formerly operated SureShot Videography and SureShot Portraits LLC in the Shoppes at Blackstone Valley in Millbury. The studio abruptly closed in June after couples demanded their undelivered videos.

Since then Mr. Clark has also operated Magnolia Wedding Films and InFocus Wedding Films, under the alias John Francis; Wedding Avenue, under the alias Michael Collins; and most recently Wedding Filmology, under the alias Jaie Hart, Mr. Frye said.

Mr. Clark, 29, of 203 N. Sturbridge Road, Charlton, was sentenced Thursday in Dudley District Court to 60 days in the Worcester County House of Correction for violating a restraining order and damaging his mother's SUV with a baseball bat on March 10.

Judge Timothy M. Bibaud ordered the 60-day sentence to be served concurrently with a 60-day sentence ordered April 16 in Worcester's Central District Court for violation of probation related to the March 10 incident.

On March 29 Mr. Clark admitted to sufficient facts to the criminal actions. The judge ordered Mr. Clark to seek inpatient psychiatric treatment before his sentencing.

Assistant District Attorney John F. Kennedy asked for a sentence of 2-1/2 years in jail, with one year to serve and the balance suspended.

Mr. Clark's lawyer, Thomas W. Brousseau, told the court that Mr. Clark was admitted to Marlboro Hospital for mental health treatment from April 2 to 9 and was discharged with a treatment plan including counseling, psychiatric care and medical care.

“He has a history of some mental health issues,” Mr. Brousseau said. “At the time, he was not properly addressing those.”

Mr. Brousseau said Mr. Clark's father, Gary, wished for his son to get proper care.

He also said that Vanesesa Clark, Jesse Clark's estranged wife, who held the restraining order, indicated that she had initiated contact with her husband the day he was arrested for violating the order and smashing his mother's SUV.

The violent outburst followed an argument between Mr. Clark and his parents over a negative column about him that had appeared in the Sunday Telegram.

Jesse Clark and his wife, who are going through a divorce, have two children, ages 2 and 3.

After the criminal sentencing Thursday, Mr. Frye asked the court to order payment of roughly $20,000 to one of the couples who had won a civil judgment against Mr. Clark. Judge Bibaud said he would consider the civil matter after Mr. Clark serves his jail sentence.

Mr. Clark told the judge he had no ability to pay the judgments.

In January, Suffolk Superior Court Judge Judith Fabricant granted an injunction against Mr. Clark and his employee, Keith Morin, prohibiting them from engaging in videography or wedding-related services and from accepting consumer deposits for any kind of business in the future.

Attorney General Martha Coakley's office had previously obtained a temporary restraining order in Suffolk Superior Court that freezes Mr. Clark's and Mr. Morin's assets and prevents them from destroying any records, including footage.

The attorney general's lawsuit seeks more than $75,000 in restitution plus civil penalties and the full recovery of all existing event footage.

Mr. Frye said that the website for Mr. Clark's fifth wedding videography business, Wedding Filmology, includes footage from wedding videos that were never received by victims of Mr. Clark's previous alleged scams. The videos are in a gallery used to promote the business.

“One of the victim's friends recognized the wedding (video) because she had been there. The bride hadn't even seen it,” Mr. Frye said. “As long as he has access to Internet, he's going to be stealing money from unsuspecting couples. It's most definitely going into a PayPal account and going somewhere.”